Heat exchanger

ABSTRACT

A heat exchange device adapted for use in a convection type base-board heater or the like embodies a plurality of pairs of plates or discs designed to be applied to a pipe and provided with oppositely facing cavities having heat storing and transmitting material confined within said cavities whereas the edges of the discs are spaced apart to permit the circulation of air between the discs and through the material in said cavities so as to prolong heat exchanging action of the assembly.

United States Patent 1191 Seidl 1451 Apr. 22, 1975 HEAT EXCHANGER [76] lnventor: George H. Seidl, 924 Melrose Ave.,

Trenton, NJ. 08629 22 Filed: Dec. 7, 1973 211 Appl. No.2 422,672

[52] U.S. Cl. 165/128; 165/181; 165/182 [51] Int. Cl. F24h 3/08; F28Cl 21/30 [58] Field of Search 165/53, 55, 128. 181, 182,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1881 Pope 165/104 x 1.809.654 6/1931 Wagner 165/181 x 1,956,617 5/1934 Jaffc 165/129 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 97.232 1/1964 Denmark 165/182 Primary E.\'aminerAlbert W. Davis, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Sperry and Zoda [57] ABSTRACT 7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures HEAT EXCHANGER FIELD OF INVENTION It is common practice to provide base-board heaters and other heat exchanging devices with pipes or tubes through which steam. hot water or a refrigerant is passed. Such tubes and pipes generally have radially extending fins secured thereto to increase the effective heat exchanging area thereof. In some instances the ra dially extending fins themselves are hollow and arranged to permit the hot water or refrigerant to be circulated within the fins. Typical constructions of this type are shown in US. Pat. Nos. 810.030; 1.706.584; 1.956.617 and 3.050.959.

While such devices are satisfactory heat exchangers this effectiveness is very short lived in that they give up their heat so rapidly that it is necessary to supply heat or refrigerant thereto repeatedly and in numerous cy cles resulting in relatively rapid and extreme fluctuations in temperature. They therefore have not been suitable for use in situations wherein prolonged and substantially uniform temperature conditions are re quired. Furthermore. the constructions of the prior art have generally required the casting or fabrication thereof in a manufacturing plant using expensive equipment for their production.

In accordance with the present invention heat exchange devices are provided which are simple and economical to produce and are characterized by their ability to receive and retain heat or cold for relatively long periods of time whereby it is possible to maintain prolonged and relatively uniform temperatures in areas where the assembly is used.

These results are preferably attained by providing a plurality of discs or plates with central openings therein through which a heating or cooling pipe may be passed. The discs or plates are adapted to be arranged in pairs and are formed with cavities or recesses therein so as to cooperate to provide an enclosure in which heat storage and transmitting material is confined to prolong the heating effect of the assembly. The discs or plates further have the edges thereof spaced apart to permit the ready flow of air between the plates and through the heat retaining material in said cavities.

THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic longitudinal view of a typical heat exchanging assembly embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view through one pair of discs or plates employed in the assembly of FIG. 1:

FIG. 3 is a perspective illustrating a typical disc adapted for use in the practice of the present invention:

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate alternative types of heat storing material which may be used'in the assembly of FIG. I, and

FIG. 6 illustrates a further embodiment of the invention.

PREFERRED FORMS OF THE INVENTION In that form of the invention chosen for purposes of illustration in FIG. 1 the assembly comprises a pipe 2 forming a part of a wall or base-board heater. air conditioning or refrigerating device or the like through which hot water. steam. or refrigerant may be circulated. Such a pipe may have elbows 4 threaded on one or both ends thereof for connecting the pipe 2 to a hot water or refrigerating system 6. The pipe 2 preferably also has portions 8 adjacent the opposite ends thereof for receiving retaining collars 10 secured in place by set screws.

Heat radiating fins in the fbrm of plates or circular discs are arranged in pairs as shown at 12 and 14 with openings 16 in the central portion thereof for receiving the pipe 2. The plates or discs 12 and 14 are provided with recessed portions 18 surrounding the central openings 16 and are arranged in opposed relations so that the recessed portions 18 of adjacent discs cooperate to define a cavity 20 therebetween. The discs are preferably formed of aluminium. copper, tin. brass. or other material having high heat conductivity. They may be readily produced by metal stamping or other forming operations and are easily and economically produced. The marginal edges of the discs are preferably provided with projections or spacing elements 22 which serve to hold the edges of the discs apart when assembled so that an air passage 24 is presented through which air may flow.

Heat storing and transmitting material 26 is located in the cavity 20 between the recessed central portions of the discs 12 and 14 and substantially filling said cavity. The heat storage material preferably is of a porous. fibrous or filamentary character through which air may pass. The material 26 further should be capable of storing and transmitting heat and. for this purpose may be formed of metal fiber. steel wool. cooper screen or the like although for some purposes it may be formed of glass wool. asbestos or other material capable of retaining heat for long periods of time. In any event. the material 26 is designed to serve as a heat reservoir which will assure prolonged release of heat in a manner to reduce the variations and fluctuations in temperatures which have characterized the heat radiating fins heretofore provided in heat exchange devices.

In forming the assembly of FIG. 1 it is of course possible to fabricate the construction in a factory. However.

as shown it is capable of assembly by the householder or plumber without resort to the use of heavy. expensive and stationary equipment. Thus. the section of pipe 2 which is to form a part of the heat exchange device may be disconnected from the elbows 4 of the system 6. One of the collars 10 is then applied to the pipe 2 near one end of the pipe by means of the threads 8 or any other means such as a set screw or the like. The disc 12 is then moved along the pipe until it engages the fixed collar 10 secured to the pipe 2. In this connection it is preferable for the opening 16 in the recessed portion 18 of the disc to be little or no larger than the pipe 2 so that the disc will have a tight or forced fit on the pipe to assure effective heat exchange between the pipe and disc.

After the disc 12 has been placed in position with the recess 18 thereof facing away from the collar 10 and toward the opposite end of the pipe 2, the heat storing and transmitting material 26 is applied to the pipe and moved into the recess 18. For this purpose the heat storing material may conveniently be preformed into a unit comprising a plurality of layers of fine mesh copper screen as shown in FIG. 4 or as a circular pad or body of fibrous material as shown in FIG. 5. The opening 28 through the center of the body of material 26 should be approximately equal the diameter of the pipe 2 so as to fit closely to the pipe for receiving heat therefrom whereas the outer diameter of the material 26 should not exceed the diameter of the recess 18 in the disc l2, 14.

When the disc 12 and material 26 have been applied to the pipe 2 the disc l4 is moved along the pipe with the recess 18 thereof facing the previously applied disc 12 until the spacing elements 22 on the two discs are brought into engagement. When in this position the material 26 will be essentially enclosed in the cavity between the discs but an air passage 24 will remain through which air may circulate between the discs and through the material 26.

In a similar way other pairs of discs and heat storage and transmitting material may be assembled on the pipe 2 until as many of such pairs as desired have been placed in position. A collar may then be applied to the pipe 2 to secure all of the elements in place and provide a completed assembly.

If desired the plates or discs 12, 14, etc. can be soldered or brazed onto the pipe 2 and the various pairs of discs with their heat storing material may be spaced apart along the pipe to permit more ready flow of air therebetween. Further spacing members may be applied to the pipe between the pairs of discs in some assemblies.

As shown in FIG. 6 the assembly may embody plates or discs 30 and 32 which present rounded or convex outer faces so that the adjacent surfaces 34 thereof are spaced apart throughout the major portion of their surfaces. In this way increased heat exchange will be effected between the air and the various elements of the assembly as the air passes over and through the elements under the influence of convection or a blower. Further. as shown in FIG. 6 the adjacent surfaces 34 of the plates or discs 30 and 32 may be provided with openings 36 or the like to permit air to flow through the discs into contact with the heat storing and transmitting material 38 whereby the maximum heat exchange will be effected.

The construction thus provided is simple. easy and economical to produce and install whereas it serves to provide a construction which serves as an efficient heat exchanger. At the same time the device has a vastly increased heat storage and transmitting capacity which retains and yields its heat gradually over long periods of time. As a result. it is not necessary to circulate the heating or cooling agent through the assembly so frequently and the rapid and extreme fluctuations in temperature heretofore experienced in heat exchange apparatus are not encountered. The equipment instead provides more even and continuing temperature radiation materially increasing the comfort and efficiency of the heat exchange effected.

A further and important advantage of the present invention resides in the fact that the various elements of the assembly can be easily removed and separated to clean or replace the fibrous heat storing and transmitting material and the discs when desired. The assembly thus serves as an air filter by which dust can be removed from the air passing through and over the elements while at the same time altering the temperature of the air most efficiently.

While one preferred form of the present invention has been shown in the drawings and described above, it will be apparent that the form, construction. and arrangement of the various elements of the combination may be varied considerably in utilizing the invention. In view thereof it should be understood that the particular embodiment of the invention disclosed is intended to be illustrative only and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A heat exchanger device comprising:

a. a pipe through which passes a heating or cooling fluid;

b. at least one pair of heat radiating plates detachably abutting each other and extending radially from said pipe said plates having recesses facing each other defining a cavity therebetween, said plates being detachably mounted on said pipe:

c. fibrous metallic heat storage and transmitting material located between said recesses and in said cavities for stabilizing heat flow from said pipe; and

d. separating means located peripherally on said heat radiating plates adapted to maintain a minimum separation between each said heat radiating plate in each said pair of plates. said separating means defining an air flowpath with said heat storage material in said cavity to heat the surrounding area.

2. A heat exchange device as defined in claim 1 wherein said plates are in the form of circular discs.

3. A heat exchange device as defined in claim I wherein a plurality of said pairs of plates are applied to said pipe and arranged in contacting relation and means are secured to said pipe adjacent the opposite ends of the resulting assembly for'securing all of said plates and the heat storage and transmitting material between said plates in place on said pipe.

4. A heat exchange device as defined in claim I wherein the surfaces of adjacent pairs of plates are spaced apart throughout at least the major portion of the area thereof.

5. A heat exchanging device as defined in claim 4 wherein said plates are provided with openings in the portions thereof which are spaced apart.

6. A heat exchange device as defined in claim 4 wherein said plates present convex outwardly facing surfaces.

7. A heat exchange device as defined in claim 6 wherein there are openings in said convex surfaces through which air may circulate. 

1. A heat exchanger device comprising: a. a pipe through which passes a heating or cooling fluid; b. at least one pair of heat radiating plates detachably abutting each other and extending radially from said pipe said plates having recesses facing each other defining a cavity therebetween, said plates being detachably mounted on said pipe; c. fibrous metallic heat storage and transmitting material located between said recesses and in said cavities for stabilizing heat flow from said pipe; and d. separating means located peripherally on said heat radiating plates adapted to maintain a minimum separation between each said heat radiating plate in each said pair of plates, said separating means defining an air flow path with said heat storage material in said cavity to heat the surrounding area.
 1. A heat exchanger device comprising: a. a pipe through which passes a heating or cooling fluid; b. at least one pair of heat radiating plates detachably abutting each other and extending radially from said pipe said plates having recesses facing each other defining a cavity therebetween, said plates being detachably mounted on said pipe; c. fibrous metallic heat storage and transmitting material located between said recesses and in said cavities for stabilizing heat flow from said pipe; and d. separating means located peripherally on said heat radiating plates adapted to maintain a minimum separation between each said heat radiating plate in each said pair of plates, said separating means defining an air flow path with said heat storage material in said cavity to heat the surrounding area.
 2. A heat exchangE device as defined in claim 1 wherein said plates are in the form of circular discs.
 3. A heat exchange device as defined in claim 1 wherein a plurality of said pairs of plates are applied to said pipe and arranged in contacting relation and means are secured to said pipe adjacent the opposite ends of the resulting assembly for securing all of said plates and the heat storage and transmitting material between said plates in place on said pipe.
 4. A heat exchange device as defined in claim 1 wherein the surfaces of adjacent pairs of plates are spaced apart throughout at least the major portion of the area thereof.
 5. A heat exchanging device as defined in claim 4 wherein said plates are provided with openings in the portions thereof which are spaced apart.
 6. A heat exchange device as defined in claim 4 wherein said plates present convex outwardly facing surfaces. 